Title: Those Indebted to the Gospel
2008·02·16
Missionary Underwood, who set out as the first missionary in Joseon with Appenseller, left this prayer.
Lord!
I can't see anything now.
Lord, the dry and poor land
A tree that has grown coolly on the ground that cannot be climbed
They brought us and planted us.
Have you crossed the wide and wide Pacific Ocean?
That fact is a miracle.
This place seems to have been dropped by the Lord
I can't see anything now.
All you see is stubbornly stained darkness.
There are only Koreans who are bound by darkness, poverty, and conventions.
They don't know why they're tied up or what the pain is.
If you offer to take pain away from someone who doesn't know that pain is pain,
Start with doubts and start with anger.
I can't see the intentions of the Joseon men.
I can't even see the heart of this country's courtship
What if there is no chance to see women riding on palanquins forever?
I can't see the heart of Joseon.
And we don't see what we need to do.
But, Lord, I will obey.
In humble obedience the Lord begins the work,
I believe that one day our spiritual eyes will be able to see what he is doing.
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen..."
according to what you said
I believe that we will be able to see the future of the faith of Joseon.
Now it seems we stand bare-handed on the wasteland
Now we are being pointed at as Western demons and Yangguijas.
Realizing that we are one with our souls
I believe that there will come a day when I will rejoice with tears knowing that I am one people and one child in the kingdom of heaven.
There is no chapel or school to worship at now.
It's just a place full of suspicion, contempt, and vulgarity.
We believe that this place will soon become a land of grace.
Lord!
Only hold on to my faith!
Paul was a staunch Pharisee and a cruel persecutor of the church. But Jesus personally came to Paul and called him. After receiving the Lord's call, he became an apostle to the Gentiles and devoted his life to preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. Later, looking back on his past, Paul said: “I am the chief of sinners.”
Paul realized how much the Lord had paid to save him. Almighty Creator God sent his only begotten Son into the world. The only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, forsook the glory and throne of heaven and came into this world in a lowly and lowly appearance. And he suffered and died on the cross. Jesus was so humbled that there was no reason for Him to suffer and die. But he was willing to die on the cross to save himself. Paul didn't even know that and he hated Jesus Christ. And they brutally persecuted the Lord's church and the saints.
Paul captured many Christians, imprisoned them, and persecuted them. But Jesus came to Saul and called him. He not only forgave all his sins, but also called him to be a servant of the Lord. Saul became a prisoner of the Lord's love. After knowing all this love and sacrifice, Paul realized how much debt he owed. The way to pay off that debt was to preach the gospel to those who did not know Jesus Christ according to the mission the Lord had given us. That is why Paul devoted the rest of his life to preaching the gospel. In the text, Paul tells how he felt when he preached the gospel. “I am indebted to both Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish; therefore, whenever possible, I want to preach the gospel to you who are also in Rome” (Romans 1:14-15).
Many of the missionaries who came to our country died of disease, and many of their wives and children also died. As they died, they loved this land and the Korean people. Thousands of missionaries wanted to be buried in Korea, not their homeland when they died. At the missionary cemetery in Yanghwajin, 167 missionaries and their families are buried.
There is one way we can repay this debt, and that is to share this gospel with those who have not yet heard it. It is for this reason that we went on a short-term mission to Bangladesh this time. Bangladesh is the most densely populated and one of the poorest countries in the world. I have been to Bangladesh twice, and the impression that has been engraved in my head is the miserable and painful image of the gentle and gentle people. I couldn't see them without tears. Looking at them made me feel sorry for myself and even ashamed. Even worse, the vast majority of them are not being saved. Suffering in this world is temporary, but if you are not saved, you will suffer forever, right?
Looking at them, I felt strongly the feelings of those in debt to the gospel. We have been saved like this, and we are living well like this. Nevertheless, we are living our lives without being grateful and not even remembering those in need. This is not the attitude of the debtor. If God has given us this great salvation and grace, we are in debt to our unfortunate neighbors like Bangladesh. God will ask how much we paid off this debt that day. What would you say then?
The Lord came to this earth for me, suffered all kinds of suffering, and died on the cross. The disciples of the Lord were all martyred while preaching this gospel. Since then, many servants of the Lord have given their lives to preach this gospel. Thousands of missionaries have come to this land, shed blood and dedicated themselves. Thousands of saints and churches whose names we do not know gave their possessions and prayed without ceasing. And today we are saved. Therefore, we are debtors. We are indebted to those who have not yet heard the gospel. To those who still do not believe, we must pay our debts.
Let's become saints who are devoted to world missions and preaching the gospel to unbelieving neighbors around us. Through this mission report, you will see how precious and greatly used the missionary donations we send. We hope that all our members will participate in this holy work through missionary offerings. And I hope that everyone will go on a short-term mission at least once. Let's choose someone to evangelize again and pray. This will be the most precious and blessed thing in our lives. I hope that you will become a saint who pays off the debt of the gospel by devoting yourself to this mission of preaching the gospel until the Lord comes.